City plans its own voters’ pamphlet

Saturday

SPRINGFIELD — City officials plan to publish a voters’ pamphlet to better inform local residents of candidates and issues on the ballot.

Springfield would become the third Oregon city after Eugene and Beaverton to regularly publish a voters’ pamphlet, according to a staff report.

The City Council identified a voters’ pamphlet as one of its goals last year, and the majority voiced support for moving forward with the project after further discussion at a work session earlier this week.

Councilors said they preferred an online pamphlet, with the city mailing postcards to residents on how to access it. The city might also include a limited run of print copies of the pamphlet.

Councilors also want to talk with the Springfield School District, Springfield Utility Board and Willamalane Park and Recreation District about participating and helping defray the cost of a pamphlet.

The earliest a voters’ pamphlet would be published is the latter half of next year.

Councilors said a city voters’ pamphlet would be a beneficial alternative for local candidates who are unclear on how to get included in the state voters’ pamphlet or can’t afford the cost. Candidates in a city voters’ pamphlet would be assessed a nominal fee of an as-yet-undetermined amount.

Lane County doesn’t produce a voters’ pamphlet. Candidates in cities with a population of more than 50,000 can get a statement and photograph published in the state voters’ pamphlet if their county doesn’t produce one. The candidate can pay $600 or submit 200 verified voter signatures to do so.

Councilor Sean VanGordon noted that 10 candidates ran for the council last year, but just four of them included statements in the state voters’ pamphlet.

City staff estimated the cost to produce a printed city voters’ pamphlet as between $12,000 and $15,000. The estimated cost drops to about $5,900, however, if the pamphlet were posted on the Internet with a postcard mailed to residents with directions on how to access it.

Representatives of the school district and Willamalane said it’s too early to comment on the merits of the proposal, but indicated their agencies are open to having a discussion.

“If there’s a way to innovate and provide additional service to our community, I’m sure they (school board members) would be interested in hearing about it,” said school district spokeswoman Devon Ashbridge.

Added Willamalane spokesman Mike Moskovitz: “We welcome the discussion and look forward to hearing more from the city on this matter.”

Last year, the park district relied on its own recreation guide, social media and local media to get word out about its $20 million bond measure to acquire parkland and natural areas. Voters approved it.

Dave Ralston was the lone councilor to oppose the project during this week’s council discussion.

He said candidates have various ways to get their message out and that should be done on their own dime and not the city’s.

“It’s not solving a problem,” he said. “We do not have uninformed voters.”

But Mayor Christine Lundberg said it’s not unusual for voters to look at candidates’ names on a ballot and not know their backgrounds and qualifications.

“More information is better,” she said.

Eugene’s city code requires officials to publish a voters’ pamphlet for each election when a city measure is on the ballot. Candidates can publish statements for a fee of $100. If no city measure is on the ballot, candidates can still pay to get their statements in the city’s voters’ pamphlet unless the City Council waives the requirement.

The Eugene Water & Electric Board and the Eugene and Bethel school districts also can include candidate statements and information about ballot measures in the city voters’ pamphlet if they pay a fee or, in the case of money measures, the agencies pick up their share of the cost of producing the pamphlet.

In May, the city’s voters’ pamphlet was distributed countywide for the first time as Lane County paid to include information about its jail levy, which voters approved. The county paid nearly $24,000.

Eugene City Recorder Beth Forrest said the average cost to produce and mail a standard voters’ pamphlet is between $15,000 and $20,000.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Subscriber Services

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Register-Guard ~ 3500 Chad Drive, Suite 600, Eugene, OR 97408 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service